Best Medicine
by thebestIcan
Summary: Kenshin's got the flu and it's up to Sano to nurse him back to health. T for suggested content.


I'm home sick and need something to kill the boredom. Nuff said.

Disclaimers: Kenshin and Sano aren't mine... They belong to each other. Aw... -Swoons-

* * *

Best Medicine

"Achoo!"

I turned to find Kenshin standing in the doorway to our room, sniffling and twitching his nose in discomfort. His eyes were watering and glazed, his nose red and his skin somewhat paler than its usual alabaster. His hair was haphazardly pulled back in a braid that was starting to come out and his thin yukata was disheveled from sleep. He took another deep breath, eyes slightly crossed, lip curled as he awaited another sneeze.

Himura Kenshin was sick.

The normally unstoppable Kenshin had succumb to the common garden-variety flu, riding waves of fevers and chills, and sneezing late into the night. Megumi's explanation had been simple enough: All the injuries he'd received from various fights and the infections that followed had weakened his immune system. If there was something going around, he was going to catch it, and it would not be pretty. Yahiko had come home one day with a sore throat and the next morning Kenshin was flushed with fever. And here we were.

It was up to me, Sagara Sanosuke, his lover, to take care of him.

Once reassured that the sneeze wasn't going to sneak up on him and knock him off his feet, he walked back to the futon where we had spent the last four days camped out and plunked himself down. He gave another sniffle and a shiver before pulling the blanket around himself, curling into a ball. Ah, that was my cue.

"Come here, love."

I sat down next to him on the futon, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and giving a slight tug. He didn't pull away, but rather curled into me, resting his forehead against my shoulder and nuzzling my neck. His hair tickled my cheek and I shifted so that he was sitting in my lap, slender body pressed to mine. He gave a yawn and sighed.

"I hate beingk sick! Everythingk's all fuzzy!"

I bit on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the way he pouted and blinked to try and clear his eyes. He had told me earlier that he hated how sickness dulled the senses. It made his vision cloudy and his hearing muffled as though he had cotton in his ears. He couldn't smell anything and it wouldn't have made a difference to him if we served him sweet plum or rice paper, they would have tasted the same.

I was playing with the little tufts of hair that fell in his eyes, gently brushing my fingers against his forehead as he had earlier muttered about a headache. I tisk when I find that he has a fever spiking up and I give him a small squeeze before gently setting him down on the futon again. He is so out of touch with reality that he doesn't even notice as I leave the room.

It isn't until I return with a small spoon and a bottle of the medicine Megumi had prescribed that he looks up, casting a scowl my way. Normally that look would have made me stop in my tracks, but the redness in his nose and the way his hair sticks out more than mine makes me bite my lip to keep from laughing. He looks like an overgrown rooster, even more so than me! I sit down beside him again, placing the spoon and bottle down so that I can prepare the medicine. Kenshin reaches up to rub at his eyes and I grab his wrist, pulling his hand down and away from his face.

"Don't do that, your eyes will get infected and we'll be in here for another four days!"

Kenshin tries to stick his tongue out at me, but it forces him into a fit of coughs and he tucks his mouth and nose into the blankets. His eyes watch my hands as I measure out the dose and I can tell he is dreading taking this. While I can admit that just the smell of it was nauseatingly strong, Kenshin was like a small child when it came to being sick and needing medicine. He had protested that he didn't needed anything until he punched me during a delirious fit from a fever, and even so it is like pulling teeth every time he is due for another dose.

When the medicine is mixed and the spoon full, I turn to him and give him the 'open up and be good' look. He defiantly stares at me through his bangs, brow knit and his mouth still tucked firmly behind the blanket. When I reach forward and tug the blanket down, Kenshin quickly clamps his lips shut, holding his breath. I quirk an eyebrow at him and sigh.

"Are you five?"

Kenshin thinks about this for a moment, then shakes his head.

"You'll have to come up for air eventually, you know that right?"

Kenshin gives a nod, cheeks puffed out comically, but doesn't let out his breath. And so I play the waiting game. His face is turning red and he is fiddling with his fingers. His eyes are watering and his lips are quivering. He shuts his eyes tight and tries his best, but he can't take it anymore, and he lets the breath out in a huff only to draw in a new one. And I spring at the opportunity.

I grab the back of his neck and slip the spoon into his mouth before he can clamp it shut again. His eyes widen in shock, then squeeze shut as the medicine hits his tongue. He pushes away from me with his hands, put I hold tight and pull the spoon out from between his lips, covering them with my hand so he wouldn't spit it back out at me. Just my actions alone would have earned me that, but he is sick and needs this medicine, though he is too stubborn to realize that!

"Swallow! Then it's over and you don't have to deal with it for another six hours!"

Reluctantly Kenshin opens his eyes and swallows. I pull my hands back and he pushes away from me, falling backwards slightly and coughing. He is looking up at me with an expression of pure hatred, but I focus on capping the bottle and putting the fixings aside. I turn to him to find him with his arms crossed and glaring a hole into my skull.

"That was a mean thingk to do, Sano!"

"Mean, but necessary!"

"That stuff burns like fire and tastes awful! Isn't there somethingk a little less disgustingk?"

I watch as he wraps the blanket back around himself, laying back down on the futon. He was very annoyed with me. I could tell by the way he turned his head away from me when he laid back down, his scarred cheek teasing me. I gave a slight huff and frowned. That meant no kisses, and when he got better, no sex.

And sex with Kenshin really felt good!

The thought makes my eyes widen and I glance back over at my red haired lover, remembering something else that Megumi had said. I can't help the grin that splits my face and I shift so that I am sitting next to Kenshin, leaning across him. He doesn't look at me when the tails of my bandana drag across his jaw and I contemplate pulling away, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I lean down and gently run the tip of my tongue along the curve of his neck.

He gave a slight shiver, but didn't respond, keeping his eyes closed and pretending he hadn't felt that. I knew better than that: I press my tongue a little harder this time and when I reach his ear I give it a little nibble. This time he pulls away with an annoyed little groan.

"Sano!"

This makes me huff again and I shift closer, bending down and planting a full kiss on his lips. He gives a surprised sound and I slip my tongue into his mouth. I can taste the medicine on him and I frown slightly, but keep kissing him as he wiggles. I pull back and he is staring at me in a shocked way, finally managing to form a response.

"Sano, what are you doingk?"

"I'm helping."

I kiss along his neck and he sighs, eyes closing as I give a slight bite at the pulse before licking that spot before moving on. His lips part slightly, a blush creeping across his cheeks, and for a second I think I may have won, but I know better than that. After a few moments, he shoves me off, sitting up and stuttering out a complete sentence.

"How is this supposed to help?"

"It helps because despite the coughing and sneezing, you're still horny?"

Kenshin quirks an eyebrow and does that thing where he reads me to find out if I'm lying.

"I think you just wanna get laid."

I feel insulted at this, then give a passive nod of confession. He sighs and makes to turn away from me when I catch his wrist and hold him place.

"Okay, I can't resist a good romp with you. But it's true. This will make you feel better, even Megumi told me about it once. Something about it being like when you're running and you feel amazing from the endorphins. Endorphins are-"

"I know what endorphins are!"

He huffs and turns away from me, pulling the blankets closer to himself. He must really be feeling under the weather to be so snippy! The corner of my mouth twitches up in the slightest of smiles and once again I lean in, taking the curve of his neck in my mouth and sucking just enough for his breath to hitch. I lap my tongue along the tendons and move down until I am at his collarbone, swirling around a scar left there. He shivers as I work with the scar tissue and I smile to myself as I slide my hands up his back, gently laying him back onto the futon. He sighs when I do this and I feel his fingers in my hair. I have him now.

"Sano…"

"Shh, Kenshin. Just enjoy your medicine!"

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I have no idea why that went so highly rated. Guess I was really bored.


End file.
